Electric appliance



May 16, 1944. D. M. DOW EIAL ELECTRIC APPLIANCE Filed Feb. 12, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 16, 1944- D. M. DOW ET AL ELECTRIC APPLIANCE Filed Feb. 12, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 16,1944

ELECTRIC APPLIANCE Dewey M. 150w and Frederick H. Bnrmeister,

Toledo, Ohio, assignors to Air-Way Electric Appliance Corporation, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application February 12, 1942, Serial No. 480,678

4 Claims.

This invention relates to electric appliances in corporating conductor corg reeling means, and has as its general object to provide an appliance of atype adapted to be supported in an upright position by a base in which the cord reel is embodied.

More specifically it is our object to provide an electric appliance embodying a housing the lower portion of which is provided with a base in which is embodied a cord reel so arranged as to require substantially no increase in dimensions of the said lower'portion of the housing.

Another object is to provide an electric appliance embodying a cord reel which is concealed within the normal outlines of the appliance.

A further object is to provide an electric appliance adapted to be supported in an upright position and incorporating a cord reel so disposed that unreeling of the conductor cord will not unbalance the appliance.

The invention is adapted particularly to embodiment in an electric vacuum cleaner of a an electric vacuum cleaner of the type described; embodying a cord reel the casing of which con-' stitutes the bottom of the suction-blower unit compartment, with a blower outlet therein.

Another object is to provide a cord reeing mechanism embodying a novel and improved construction wherein the reel is rotatably mounted on a hollow trunnion sleeve at its center and electrical connection between the conductor cord wound upon the reel and the current consuming device, is established by brushes carried by the reel, a pair of conductor rings carried by the trunnion sleeve and contacted by the brushes,

' and a conductor counicating with the rings and extending through the sleeve and thence to the current consuming device.

Other and further objects of the invention will occur to those, skilled in the arts to which this invention pertains as the description proceeds which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, sets forth a preferred em= bodiment and selected modifications of the invention, but such embodiment and selected modiflcations are not be construed as limitations of the invention but only as illustrative thereof and any and all modifications, alterations and variations of structure coming within the spirit and as indicated by the line 4-4 of Fig. 3:

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken on the.

line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. '7 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 'l-l of Fig. 3, and v Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view line 3-8 of Fig. 4.

As an example of one form in which the invention may be embodied, we have shown, in the drawings, a vacuum cleaner of the general type disclosed in the pending application of Dewey M. Dow, Serial No. 412,663, filed September 27, 1941, embodying a normally upright housing it containing in its upper region a dust collecting and air filtering bag, and, in its lower region a suction-blower unit l2. The lower portion of the housing in is formed with a base skirt it having an outwardly extending flange It. Secured to the flange I6 is a base ring it having downwardly and outwardly extending supportinglegs all formed integrally therewith.

The suction-blower unit it is disposed in a blower chamber 22 within the base skirt i l, the bottom of which is defined by a stamped sheet metal bottom wall t l having a blower outlet The bottom wall 2% and flange it are together taken on the secured to the underside of the base ring it by The casing 32 is substantially circular and disposed eccentrically of the bottom wall 24 as shown in Fig. l, leaving a crescent shaped portion of the bottom wall proiecting beyond its pe-- riphery. In a wider region of this crescent shaped sleeve 42 has a reduced, threaded upper end portion 48 which is extended through the wall 88 and provided with a nut 48 and washers 88 and 82 by means of which it is securely clamped to to the bracket ill by a screw I28, and a pair of brushes I24 and I48 in contact respectively with the conductor rings 88 and 82. The brushes I24 and I 88 are mounted in square holes I82 in the respective blocks I22 and I24, and are urged into engagement with the rings I24 and I 88 by means of coil springs I24 compressed between the the wall 88. The body of the sleeve is flnished exteriorly with a cylindrical trunnion surface and is received in the hub 84 of the reel 44. The lower end oi the trimnion sleeve is formed with a flange 88 which supports a thrust bearing washer 84 against which the lower end of the hub 84 bears.

The reel 44 comprises a pair of discs 88 and 82, the latter having an upwardly recessed central region 84 in engagement with the disc 88 and clamped therewith between a flange 88 on the hub 84 and a washer 88 engaged by a nut I8 threaded onto the lower end of the hub 84.

The flange 88 is so located as to provide, between the top of the reel 44 and the wall 38, an annular compartment 12 in which is received a pancake coil spring I4. The spring I4 is attached at one end to the hub 84 and at its other end to the peripheral wall 88 of the casing 82, as at 18.

Secured to the lower end of the hub 48 is a current collector I8 including a pair of discs 88 and 82 of insulating material such as porcelain, for example, the disc 88 having a core portion 84 (see Fig. 4) which is received in a recess in the disc 82. A pair of screws 88 are extended through the disc 82 and the core portion 84 and threaded as at 88 into the flange 58 of the sleeve 42, thus securing the discs 88 and 82 in assembled relation to the sleeve. The flange 58 is recessed into the upper region of the disc 88 as shown. Encircling the respective discs 88 and 82 are a pair of conductor rings 88 and 82 which are formed with inturned flanges 94. The flanges 94, separated by a pair of washers 98 of insulating material, are clamped between the discs 88 and 82. Formed on the flanges 84 are a pair of terminals 88 which extend into a recess I88 in the core 84.

Electric current is carried from the terminals 88 to the motor I82 or the suction-blower unit I2 by means of a conductor I84 extending downwardly through the sleeve 48 and through a central opening in the disc 88, into the recess I88. The respective ends of the conductor I84 are connected to the terminals 88.

, Current is carried to the collector 18 by a conductor cord I88 one end of which extends through an opening I88 in the peripheral wall 38 of the reel casing 82 and is provided with a connector plug H8. The intermediate portion of the cord is wrapped around the oflset wall I I2 which connects the recesseh wall 84 to the peripheral portion of the reel disc 82. The other end of the.

brushes and the bottoms of the holes I42. The brushes I24 and I38 are connected to the cord I88 by short conductors I38 and bus bars I44.

Fromthe opening I88 the cord 44 passes between a pair 01 pulleys I48 :Iournalled on a bracket I42 secured to the lower side oi the bottom wall 24. From the pulleys I48 the cord passes between a pulley I44 and a clamp jaw I48. The law I48 is formed on a lever I48 which is pivoted at I88 to the bracket I42. A coil spring I52, one end of which is attached to the bracket and the other end of which is attached to the lever I48, urges the jaw I48 in a direction to clamp the cord I88 against the pulley I44. The guide pulley and clamping mechanism is accommodated in a recess 184 in the bottom wall 24, forming an extension of the recess II. The recess I54 is located in the wider region of the projecting portion of the bottom wall 24.

In using the cleaner, the cord I88 is pulled out until the desired length of cord has been unreeled, As the cord is unreeled the spring 14 will be coiled, storing energy by means oi. which it can later rotate the reel ior rewinding the cord,

The clamping Jaw I48 will yield to permit the cord to be pulled out, but will engage the cord when the latter is released, so asto hold it against rewinding. When the operator is through using the cleaner, the cord may be rewound by simply depressing the lever I48. This releases the cord from the grip oi the Jaw I48 and permits the spring 14 to rotate the reel in the rewinding direction.

The lever I48 is located so-that it may be engaged by the toe of the operator's root:

The invention provides a vacuum cleaner 0! the upright caddy type incorporating a cord reeling mechanism of ample dimensions and yet occupying a space that was formerly occupied only by the bottom wall of the suction-blower unit chamber. At the same time, the reeling mechanism is completely concealed while the cleaner is in its normal upright position. The reel is of the pancake type, relatively shallow in axial dimension, so as to require a minimum axial shift of the cord during winding and unwinding. This makes it possible to bring the cord out between the guide pulleys and clamping means, from which the cord issues along a fixed axis. The reel casing is embodied in the bottom wall of the cleaner, thus simplifying construction and reducing cost.

The reeling mechanism, being located at the bottom of the cleaner, lowers the center of gravity thereof and thus improves the balance.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a vacuum cleaner of the upright caddy type having in its lower portion a suction-blower unit chamber, a bottom wall for said chamber,

means cooperating with an eccentric area oi said unit chamber and including a base ring having downwardly extending legs, a bottom wall for said chamber, means cooperating with said bottom wall to form a shallow reel casing disposed in a horizontal plane extending just below the plane of the lower side of said base ring and disposed eccentrically with reference to the center 01 said bottom wall, so as to leave an exposed substantially crescent shaped area of said bottom wall lying between one side thereof and the adjacent portion of said base ring, a blower outlet formed in said exposed area of the bottom wall,

and a cord reel in said casing, said reel casing having a peripheral wall provided with an opening through which-a conductor cord is adapted to issue in said horizontal plane.

3. An electric appliance including an upright housing mounted on a horizontal base having downwardly extending supporting legs, a pancake shaped cord reel mounted on said base in a horizontal plane lying just below the plane of the tween adjacent legs, said base including means lower surface of said base. whereby ltmay deliver 7 a conductor cord Just below said base and betorming (1) a bottom wall for said housing and (2) a casing for said reel, said casing being disposed eccentrically with reference to the center of said bottom wall so as to leave an exposed area of said bottom wall lying between one side of said casing and the periphery of said bottom wall, said housing incorporating a pressure chamber immediately above said bottom wall, and a blower outlet in said exposed area of the bottom wall.

4. In a vacuum cleaner oi the upright caddy type having in its lower portion a suction-blower unit chamber, a bottom wall for said chamber, means cooperating with said bottom wall to form a reel casing disposed eccentrically with reference to the center of said bottom wall so as to leave an exposed area of said bottom wall lying between one side of said casing and the periphery of said bottom wall, a blower outlet in said exposed area of the bottom wall, and a cord reel in said casing.

DEWEY M. DOW.

FREDERICK H. BURMEIS'I'ER. 

